DAS feedback.

[jewjubean]

Feel free to move this if it is the wrong area. I just wanted to give feedback regarding the new DAS policy in the Theme Parks. Particularly the Disneyland Resort. Just wanted to start this out with a disclaimer that I am VERY closely involved in the DAS program here at Walt Disney World and work in a position that I know the program inside and out. With that being said- I was totally nervous doing this myself. Myself and boyfriend (who has MS) just came back last week from Disneyland and had a fantastic time. He is not in a wheelchair yet, but is in varying symptoms that makes it very difficult to tour for periods of time longer than 2-4 hours depending on the heat. We started by circling the rides that we absolutely HAD to ride for our trip to be considered a success. We figured we would add the others in. This worked Perfectly! We did the things that we wanted to do, while waiting in the shorter lines while we waited for our return times. We ended up doing way more than we thought we would. We also took tons of breaks during the return times. It was a life saver because unlike the old card where you just went from one line to another- we were almost "forced" to take a break. Which, little did I know was exactly what we needed to keep going through out the day so that we did not have a melt down. Halfway through the day we went home to take a short nap(about 3-5 hours) and started again. We made sure to get the return time for when we came back so we wouldn't have to wait as long. This ended up being perfect and really allowed us to do what we needed. We kept a open mind saying we will do what we could and not try and push it. We were pleasantly surprised how well this worked for us! Tips: Take breaks- a life saver and really benefits all members of the party Split up if you have to- if someone needs to go back to the hotel do it! Be reasonable about what you can do at the parks. We have limitations and know we can't do everything. Accept that and have fun doing your top five. Rent a wheelchair or ECV if you feel you need it. Be realistic and Plan ahead and know what's important for you to see. Pick a time of year to visit that works with your family and any limitations you may have.

Now this trip was great, but we did have our hiccups. Breaking down after three days at the park was rough and not so magical. But when we took a nap and started over it got better.

I hope that this helps!

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the feedback.

Lots of good hints, too.

 

[Talking Hands]

Good advice. Now if I can get Fastpass+, DAS and the interpreter schedule coordinated I will be a happy camper. If not I guess merging DAS and the interpreter schedule will have to do.

 

[jewjubean]

Good advice. Now if I can get Fastpass+, DAS and the interpreter schedule coordinated I will be a happy camper. If not I guess merging DAS and the interpreter schedule will have to do.

We haven't tried it at Walt Disney World yet- but I will report back when we do. I think it's starting to get to the point of being too hot for us to go right now.

First day might be a little hectic until you get into your groove- but once you get the hang of it, you should be okay!

 

[PatMcDuck]

OP, did you find the DAS procedure easier at DL vs. WDW? I have only used it at DL (for my son), I will try WDW's version this Fall.

It just seems like a better (easier to manage) program at DL, with the kiosks that can give any return time, in either park, vs. approaching each individual ride for the return time.

 

[jewjubean]

We haven't had a chance to try Walt Disney World yet- hopefully soon. But with it getting warmer our days are limited. I will post back when it we do go.

 

[vinylmationmom]

Hi Folks,

The DAS works the same way at WDW. You go to guest services to get the picture taken of the disabled member of your party and it is printed on the pass. When you go to a ride, they look at the wait time and they write down a time for you to come back through the FP line to save time from waiting. It is similar to how they do it in Universal Studios. It worked out ok for us as we also went to other nearby rides with shorter lines and came back to the one we were waiting for. You cannot have more than one open time on your pass though. Meaning if you just received a time to return, you cannot get another time from another ride until the other ride was crossed off.

I am hoping this new system cuts back on the people who were abusing the system.

Keep Calm and Disney on

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi Folks,

The DAS works the same way at WDW. You go to guest services to get the picture taken of the disabled member of your party and it is printed on the pass. When you go to a ride, they look at the wait time and they write down a time for you to come back through the FP line to save time from waiting. It is similar to how they do it in Universal Studios. It worked out ok for us as we also went to other nearby rides with shorter lines and came back to the one we were waiting for. You cannot have more than one open time on your pass though. Meaning if you just received a time to return, you cannot get another time from another ride until the other ride was crossed off.

I am hoping this new system cuts back on the people who were abusing the system.

Keep Calm and Disney on

There is a thread near the top of this board about DAS (Disability Access Service) at WDW and another thread about DL.

The first post in each thread is a DAS FAQ.

 

[jewjubean]

OP, did you find the DAS procedure easier at DL vs. WDW? I have only used it at DL (for my son), I will try WDW's version this Fall. It just seems like a better (easier to manage) program at DL, with the kiosks that can give any return time, in either park, vs. approaching each individual ride for the return time.

We just tried it out last week and it actually wasn't as bad as what I thought it was going to be.

We started by bringing the old DAS card to GR and they issued us another one for Walt Disney World. As Cast Members we cannot choose FP+ prior to arrival so we went directly to the FP kiosk at GR and chose FP times. ( we were at MK at around 7Pm) for three people. We actually got pretty good times/attractions. From that point we kinda planned what we wanted to get done other than our FP selections. Stopped by the Seven Dwarfs Mine train and got a return time and then went to do the FP. The only hiccup is that the CM wrote down a longer wait time than it actually was- but she changed it after we pointed it out. So id make sure to check.



I would make sure to get return times around the FP attractions. Takes a little more planning but overall it works!

 

[SueM in MN]

We just tried it out last week and it actually wasn't as bad as what I thought it was going to be.

We started by bringing the old DAS card to GR and they issued us another one for Walt Disney World. As Cast Members we cannot choose FP+ prior to arrival so we went directly to the FP kiosk at GR and chose FP times. ( we were at MK at around 7Pm) for three people. We actually got pretty good times/attractions. From that point we kinda planned what we wanted to get done other than our FP selections. Stopped by the Seven Dwarfs Mine train and got a return time and then went to do the FP. The only hiccup is that the CM wrote down a longer wait time than it actually was- but she changed it after we pointed it out. So id make sure to check.



I would make sure to get return times around the FP attractions. Takes a little more planning but overall it works!

Thanks for the comparison report.

The part I bolded seems to be one of the most helpful points.

And, that's a good point about checking the time written down. The CMs are human and can make mistakes.

 

[jewjubean]

Thanks for the comparison report. The part I bolded seems to be one of the most helpful points. And, that's a good point about checking the time written down. The CMs are human and can make mistakes.

Sorry it's not the best, couldn't sleep last night and realized I hadn't reported back! I hope this helps when people are coming to see us at Walt Disney World!

 

[Talking Hands]

In was actually able to coordinate FP+, DAS and the interpreter schedule reasonably well. The only place we had problems was Pirates as the will not bend on their accommodations. While I can walk short distances, the distance they want from where you park to the exit is too far for me without pain. Their solution is a wheelchair that was in poor shape and oversized. Even with a standard wheelchair, my husband can no longer push (he has balance issues) plus the depth of the chair is such that my circulation would be cut off leading to the possibility of my falling. As much as I want to ride I guess this is one that I can't do anymore due to the attitude of their way or get out. Sad that they are so pigheaded that they will not even listen to a guest as to what will fit their needs.

 

[SueM in MN]

In was actually able to coordinate FP+, DAS and the interpreter schedule reasonably well. The only place we had problems was Pirates as the will not bend on their accommodations. While I can walk short distances, the distance they want from where you park to the exit is too far for me without pain. Their solution is a wheelchair that was in poor shape and oversized. Even with a standard wheelchair, my husband can no longer push (he has balance issues) plus the depth of the chair is such that my circulation would be cut off leading to the possibility of my falling. As much as I want to ride I guess this is one that I can't do anymore due to the attitude of their way or get out. Sad that they are so pigheaded that they will not even listen to a guest as to what will fit their needs.

I'm curious, what did you do before?
Did they have a different way of handling you?

Pirates is an issue because boarding is in one area and unloading is in another building, down one floor. If it was possible to board at the exit and ride around to the boarding, it would be pretty easy. But, after guests unload at the exit, the boat goes through a door just barely big enought for the boats and up a steep ramped area to get back to the boarding area.

 

[cmwade77]

In was actually able to coordinate FP+, DAS and the interpreter schedule reasonably well. The only place we had problems was Pirates as the will not bend on their accommodations. While I can walk short distances, the distance they want from where you park to the exit is too far for me without pain. Their solution is a wheelchair that was in poor shape and oversized. Even with a standard wheelchair, my husband can no longer push (he has balance issues) plus the depth of the chair is such that my circulation would be cut off leading to the possibility of my falling. As much as I want to ride I guess this is one that I can't do anymore due to the attitude of their way or get out. Sad that they are so pigheaded that they will not even listen to a guest as to what will fit their needs.

Come out to Pirates at DLR, not only can you take your own ECV or wheelchair right up to the boat, the ride is by far better than at WDW.

The other option is to ask for a CM to push you through the queue. They are now required to provide this assistance at any attraction where you must transfer from an ECV to a Disney chair for any portion of the queue. I know this is at least true in California (as of sometime in February is when I know the rule came into effect), I am not 100% positive about Florida, but I would imagine that this is the same.

This had become a huge issue at Disneyland when Star Tours starting requiring those in ECVs and wheelchairs that can't fold to use a Disney Chair instead of going up the exit. Given how steep the exit is, this makes some sense; however, there are many people in ECVs that go by themselves (or in parties where the other members are unable to push) to Disneyland and were unable to push themselves in the chairs. So, this rule was put in place just a few days after this policy was put in place and no applies to all attractions where this could be an issue, such as Big Thunder (again at Disneyland), which now requires ECVs to be parked outside the attraction exit.

My point is, you should be able to ask for a CM to push in such circumstances. Although it may occasionally take slightly longer, as they may have to wait for someone to be available.